Love Trance
by mylovemiroku
Summary: Chapter 7 coming SOON! I am about halfway done with it- sorry for such the wait, you can't rush creativity you know. I am just fixing up previous chapters now...
1. Loss of Control

**Love Trance**

**Chapter 1: Loss of Control**

Sango sighed as she stared up at the sky. It was a rather nice and sunny day so she didn't understand why she felt despair within her. She didn't like feeling this way on such a nice day.

Kagome had gone back to her own time and Inuyasha was with her. In a way Sango was sort of bored not having them bickering around her or have Kagome to talk to. Inuyasha and Kagome seemed to be getting along better lately. It was now normal that she only went back to her age when she really had to, not if she got mad at Inuyasha. It was also normal that Inuyasha would stay in her time with her while she was away.

Sango smiled at this thought. She thought it funny that Inuyasha and Kagome were so hesitant to show their feelings for each other when everyone else knew how they felt.

A small and familiar voice broke her train of thought. "Sango? What are you doing out here by yourself? " Asked the kitsune.

"Oh, just thinking," she said smiling down to the little child.

"Well, Kaede wants some help to make dinner for when Inuyasha and Kagome return," he said.

"All right, let's get to it then," she said with a light heart. Forgetting her negative thoughts from before, she focused on the tasks at hand.

When they got to Kaede's hut, Sango saw that she had already started to boil a pot of some sort of stew.

"Ah, there you are my dear, I need ye help getting more firewood for the stew I'm making," Kaede said.

"Gladly Kaede."

Shippo stayed behind to help with the putting in the vegetables. 'I wonder where Miroku went off to' Sango began thinking. She went deeper into the forest when she heard the scream of a familiar voice. 'Miroku...?' she shuddered.

She raced toward the sound and found him finishing off the last of what looked like a group of bear demons. "Oh, Sango, I didn't expect to see you out here," Miroku said, surprised.

Sango was speechless. Miroku seemed to have been interrupted in the middle of his hot spring bath and was wearing nothing but his rosary and hand covering. "Sango...?" he asked. He didn't quite noticed why she was stunned until he saw her remove her eyes from his face to the lower parts of his body.

"Oh! Well, I was just... uh... well... you know..." he stammered with a beet red face, trying to cover himself up.

Sango still stood there with a ghost-like stare of shock. 'Why am I staring?' she thought. There was this sudden force in her that didn't want to advert her eyes. Her heart was beating very rapidly in her head and her whole body was going numb.

"Sango...? Are you ok?" he asked, seeing as she had not said anything to him yet.

She took a step toward him, now staring back through his deep violet eyes. Her look was no longer a look of shock but a look glazed over by love, sort of trance like. It normally would have creeped him out but he was just bewildered at her sudden movements.

She took two more steps toward him until she was less than half a foot away from him. She wouldn't even stand this close to him if they were talking normally. She dropped her hiraikotsu with a large 'thud' sound that didn't make either of them jump, surprisingly. They were both just looking into each other's eyes… and then without hesitation, she flung herself on top of him in a tight embrace, arms laced around his neck. This sudden urge came over her like a rush of wind blowing in her face and it was not under her control anymore.

Miroku was deeply surprised at her actions especially when she began to furiously kiss him with passion all over his neck and arms. He didn't say anything but let what happen, happen…

* * *

"Ah, it's so good to be back in this age!" Kagome exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Inuyasha agreed. As they both hurriedly climbed out of the well, a fast running ball of fur greeted them.

"Kagome!" Shippo exclaimed.

"Shippo! I missed you too. Where are Sango and Kaede?" Kagome asked as she hugged the little fox child.

"Kaede is almost done with dinner and Sango hasn't returned from getting firewood yet, " he said.

'That's weird' Kagome thought. 'She never takes this long for such a simple task.'

"Inuyasha, can you come with me to check where Sango is? Something doesn't feel right..." Kagome said, with a look of worry in her eyes.

"Alright, alright," he agreed, grudgingly.

With Kagome on his back, they leapt hurriedly through the forest. Inuyasha was sniffing out their friend's scent until they came across the hot spring. Kagome and Inuyasha gasped at the sight that met their eyes.

Sango and Miroku were wrapped in each other's arms in the hot spring, asleep, and naked. Miroku was leaning against his back and Sango, asleep on his chest. Kagome barely uttered her friend's name when Sango's eyes flickered open groggily. She regained consciousness and tried to realize where she was. Her lower half was warm from the water, and upper half very cold from the wind.

"Huh? Where am I...?" she asked, sleepily.

"Well, the better question is, what are you doing here?" Inuyasha retorted.

Sango winced at this question and all she remembered is when she saw Miroku finish off the bear demons, and Miroku was...

"AAAAHHH! What AM I doing HERE?" she screamed.

She quickly backed away from the still asleep Miroku and jumped out of the hot spring hurriedly trying to find her clothes.

"Inuyasha! Don't just stand there! Wake up Miroku while I help Sango!" yelled Kagome.

"Right," he said, still trying to take in the whole situation.

Kagome helped Sango get dressed into her yukata without any more conversation and Inuyasha successfully woke up Miroku and he draped his robe across himself. Sango then furiously stomped toward the monk and slapped him harder than ever before, if you can believe that.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO ME!?" Sango screamed.

"You were there… and _you_ did something to me!" Miroku said, defensively.

"WHAT?! How DARE you say that to me! I would NEVER do something like, like... like THAT!" Sango screamed back. "I can't believe you! YOU LECHEROUS, FILTHY, IGNORANT, LYING, PIG!" Sango stomped back to Kaede's hut in a rage thinking the same thoughts that she had just blurted out. 'How could he say something so scandalous right in front of me? And then lie in my face?! I will never forgive him for this...'

"You Baka!" Inuyasha said while hitting Miroku hard upside the head. Kagome had already ran after Sango seconds after she had left.

Now Miroku was totally confused and speechless about what Sango had said about him. He was also in severe pain on his face and head from where Sango's handprint remained and a new bump appeared on his head from Inuyasha. 'What was she talking about?' he thought.


	2. Recollection

**Love Trance**

_We last left the group when Sango was stomping away leaving Miroku bewildered. Kagome had followed close behind her to find some answers…_

**Chapter 2: Recollection**

"Sango! Wait up!" Kagome shouted.

Sango still trampled forward but seemed to slow at her friend's words.

"Sango. Huh…huh… What just happened?" Kagome finally gasped out.

Sango now stopped in her tracks. Her head was down and she did not bring it up for quite some time. Kagome was in front of her now and when she finally did bring her head up, there were tears in her eyes. Before Kagome could gasp at her friend's tears, Sango flung herself on Kagome and wept.

"Kagome… I don't know! I can't remember anything about it! I'm so scared…" Sango cried out. "I know Miroku would never do anything without my permission, and even then… but it makes no sense otherwise. I just don't know."

Kagome was speechless. She just patted her friend's head in a comforting way and whispered,

"It's ok, Shhh…"

They stood together for a while to ease the confusion and take in their emotions slowly.

When Sango did regain some of her composure, she looked up to Kagome straight in the eyes.

"What would cause him do something like that though? Are you sure you don't remember anything?" Kagome finally confronted her.

Sango sighed.

"I went out to find more firewood for Kaede for the dinner she was preparing for your return and I heard Miroku cry out in the forest. I went towards his cry and found him sucking up some bear demons into his wind tunnel. And then… It gets fuzzy… my memory I mean," Sango told.

"That is really weird," Kagome agreed, puzzled. "When Inuyasha and I found you, well… you were kind of in the hot spring together, umm… naked."

Sango had a look of shock on her face and then held her head as if in immense pain.

"Sango! Are you ok?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, I think I will be okay Kagome. Can you give me some time to think for myself? I need to sort some stuff out and see if I can remember anything else," Sango concluded.

"Alright, I will see what's taking Inuyasha and Miroku," Kagome decided.

"Thank you," Sango said gratefully.

"You come find me first if you remember anything, okay?" Kagome ordered kindly.

"I will," Sango said, with a partial smile on her face.

* * *

Kagome ran off towards the hot spring once more to find Miroku rubbing his head in pain as well. Unlike Sango though, he had a huge lump similar to the ones Shippo gets after Inuyasha hits him.

"What's going on here?" she asked.

"I honestly have no idea," Miroku managed to say.

"You have NO idea?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Oh, I was hoping you would… Sango doesn't seem to know either," Kagome said.

"Well this is just great!" Inuyasha said, pacing and flailing his arms over his head.

"Sit Boy!" Kagome commanded, annoyed.

"Agh! face hitting ground "What was that for?!" he yelled.

"Quit acting like the world revolves around you Inuyasha! It's really getting on my nerves, especially since our friends need our help," she bellowed out at him.

"Now then, I need to ask you Miroku, what was the last thing you remember? Or how should I say this…. What happened from the time you sucked up the bear demons into your wind tunnel to when we found you?" she asked intently.

"Well, that's about the time Sango came across me. Let's see… I was surprised to see her and she was well, sort of 'surprised' to see _all_ of me, as I had none of my clothes on. That sometimes is the effect women have after something like that happens…" Miroku said with his infamous lecherous look on his delusional face.

_whack_

"Stay on topic lecher!" Kagome yelled.

"Ow… sorry. Well, then she didn't respond to me when I tried to talk to her and she, well, umm… sort of flung her body onto mine and was acting very, umm…. how should I say it… very 'un-Sango' like toward me. He he…" Miroku said with a hint in his voice.

Kagome look shocked.

"Sango? Do that? I don't believe it!" she shouted.

"How else could she have gotten into his arms Kagome? She hates when he gropes her of his own accord," Inuyasha said, now joining the conversation.

"True…true… It just doesn't make sense, but I guess none of this does," Kagome sighed.

"Well, I didn't really do anything after that," Miroku he said defensively. "I invited her into the hot spring, yes, but it was her who took off her own clothing and came on to me."

"Oh, how kind of you!" Kagome spat back.

"Ha ha, 'tis my duty as a man," Miroku laughed.

"I've heard enough of your snide remarks monk! Is that all that happened? What, then you just fell asleep or something?" Inuyasha asked.

"Hm… I guess it was just so relaxing in the hot spring, we did fall asleep…" Miroku concluded, pondering his thoughts.

"Phew, well that's sort of good news," Kagome said letting out a sigh of relief.

'I wonder how Sango is doing though…' thought Miroku.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sango had traveled deeper into the forest. She was retracing all of the events in her mind carefully, so as not to miss anything important. She came across a clearing filled with light and many plants. Right in the middle was the Sacred Tree. She looked at it in awe and found herself feeling a bit light-hearted. She always got this feeling of clarity when she was near it. It really was a magical tree.

She sat at the base of it and sighed.

"I guess I was a little harsh to Miroku…" she said aloud to the tree. "I mean, he didn't even do anything after all… I wonder what really happened though…ugh, I can't shake this feeling of uncertainty. It feels like a bit of my memory and life were just wiped out of mind," she sighed again and took in a deep breath of the fresh air around her to ease her mind and body into a deep sleep.


	3. Sango's Dream

**Love Trance**

**Chapter 3: Sango's Dream**

She was running, and she was panting very hard. It was very dark, for it was night outside. Her side ached from her running and her mouth was dry from breathing so hard. Her clothes felt sticky against her sweaty body and running seemed like the only way out of her situation. She stumbled on the root of a tree and hit the ground hard. She heard a jingling sound behind her and winced around. A shadowy figure approached her and his scythe glistened in the moonlight.

"Please don't do this..." she stuttered, pain filling her heart.

There was no response from her attacker; he held his weapon higher and firmer, about to attack.

"Please... Kohaku..." she cried out, still catching her breath. "I love you, you're my little brother, please remember me..." she pleaded.

"Do you truly care for me Sango?" he asked monotone.

"Of course I do!" she cried. "I always have! I've taken care of you, trained you, looked after you... PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!"

"You never show it Sango, what am I to think? You never told me so. You always had a confidence in me that I knew I didn't have, and you didn't respect my wishes. I can't stand here waiting for you to... I need to live my own life... WITHOUT YOU," he yelled.

His scythe swung up once more and struck her. The sharp point of the scythe pierced through her flesh and blood spurt out of her chest. It went through to her back, directly through her heart. She was speechless, there was so much pain in her heart, both physically and emotionally, and all she could do was cry. Tears flooded her eyes as if they were fountains.

Her vision blurred and grew red. The shadowy figure of her brother blurred away into the black darkness of the night...

"NOOOO!" Sango screamed, sitting upright. She was panting heavily now and was very confused. She held her chest tightly and came to her senses. It was night, but she was not injured. Her heart still hurt though, as if the dream had been real. She now remembered where she was at, the trunk of the Sacred Tree.

This place was still beautiful, even at night. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes, trying to get the visions of her nightmare out of her mind. 'What a terrible thing to think...' she thought. 'Kohaku would never do or say that, unless he was under Naraku's control that is...' she sighed.

How she longed to set him free from his grasp. 'Don't worry Kohaku, I'll be the one to save you' she declared to herself. 'I'll avenge father and the villagers as well, Naraku will not get away with this!' She now had determination in her eyes and set off to find Kagome and the others.

* * *

She was so lost in her thoughts and walking at a good stride that she nearly screamed when she bumped into Miroku.

"Oh! Miroku, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," she exclaimed.

"Well, I'm sorry too, you know for everything..." he said mumbling.

"Huh?" she asked, confused. Not until her own comment did she remember what she was doing here in the middle of the forest anyway.

"Oh..." she said. Her head now bent down.

"Well, I see you've cooled down a little bit. Maybe we should talk about this..." Miroku trailed off.

Sango was still confused about the situation herself and didn't want to 'discuss' much until she had figured everything out. She felt like she might be getting closer to answers with her dream about Kohaku, but was still unsure why.

"Well, it happened right?" she stated rhetorically. "I think we should just leave it in the past, whatever happened, it was a mistake, probably on my part. I'm sorry for hitting you as hard as I did and for saying those mean things. I guess I was just caught up in the heat of the moment," she spilled out.

"Well... If you're fine with it..." Miroku stammered.

"Fine! That settles it! Let's find the others, maybe they have some leads about Naraku and his whereabouts," she said smiling.

She then went past Miroku in a triumphant march toward Kaede's hut.

'Ok, that went good, I guess...' Miroku thought, still feeling as though the issue was unsettled.

* * *

"I think we should get some rest now," Kagome said, breaking the silence. It had been quiet throughout dinner and ever since Sango returned. She didn't look mad, but deep in thought. Miroku looked a little down, but maybe he was just tired. Inuyasha and Shippo had scarfed down most of dinner and were almost asleep now- full to their stomachs.

Kagome sighed and stood up to get ready for bed. 'I guess we'll talk about it tomorrow...' she thought. Everyone got up to go to bed as well.

Sango was still thinking about Kohaku and Naraku as she lied in on her mat when there was some rustling over by Kagome's sleeping bag.

"Sango? You still up?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah... sorry if I woke you Kagome, I was just thinking about Kohaku. I had a dream about him today..." she said sighing.

"You did? Well, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I know that issue is a little sensitive. I understand," Kagome said, trying to cheer up Sango, for she knew that Sango always got depressed at the mere mention of her little brother.

"It was pretty bad. He said some weird things to me, and in the end, he stabbed me in the chest," Sango explained, holding her hand to her heart.

"Oh! How awful! What a nightmare! Don't worry Sango, we'll find him and set him free!" Kagome reassured.

"You should get some rest, you've been through a lot today," Kagome added finally, turning over in her sleeping bag.

"Yeah, I guess, Thanks Kagome," Sango said, closing her eyes.

'I can't help but think that Kohaku was trying to tell me something deeper than his surface words...' Sango thought. 'Oh well, I shouldn't dwell on it else I want another nightmare like that.' With her final thought for the night she drifted into a deep sleep.


	4. Crucial Battle

**Love Trance**

**Chapter 4: Crucial Battle**

Sango awoke early the next morning, just as the sun was rising. 'Ah, what a beautiful day it is going to be' she thought. All of the others were still asleep so she crept quietly out of her bed to dress and get some water and start an early meal. Her thoughts were peaceful as she did her errands and soon Kagome and Kaede awoke to help.

Kagome went to get the others a while after and they ate silently. That day, they were headed toward the east, where Inuyasha had heard of an ominous aura being.

It was a long and tedious journey but, nonetheless, an important one. It had its rounds of laughs, fights, 'sits', gropes, and slaps. Surprisingly, this only made them grow closer as friends and never got boring.

Finally, around mid-afternoon, all of a sudden, they all stopped short when they approached a huge mountain.

"I sense an immense demonic aura towards this mountain," Miroku said.

"Yeah, and I sense a huge Shikon jewel shard," Kagome added.

"Well, that's good enough for me!" yelled Inuyasha as he headed toward the mountain with Kagome on his back.

At the top of the mountain was a huge crater that you couldn't see the bottom to.

"It looks really scary down there..." said Shippo hesitantly.

"Don't chicken out on us yet, Shippo," Inuyasha said, mockingly.

"I am not!" yelled Shippo.

"You are too! If you're scared you should have stayed with Kaede!" Inuyasha yelled back.

"Cut it out you two! And lets go!" Kagome ended.

Just then, the ground beneath then started to shake and a huge miasma came out from deep inside the crater with a hoard of demons rushing out, blinding everyone, leaving them coughing as the demons leapt toward the sky. When the air finally did clear, the demons were headed straight back down toward the group. With his quick reflexes, Inuyasha grabbed Kagome out of the way while the others hopped on Kirara.

"There must be hundreds of demons in that miasma!" Sango exclaimed.

"They're not Naraku's either," Inuyasha said. "I don't smell him anywhere."

"Yeah, and the Shikon Jewel sense is not coming from those demons," Kagome added. "I still sense it around the mountainside. It's very tainted though, it makes me feel sick."

"That's probably what they came out to find," Miroku concluded.

"Well, let's not give them a chance!" yelled Inuyasha. "Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!"

"Wind Tunnel!"

"Hiraikotsu!"

"Fox fire!"

While Miroku was sucking up many demons at a time, he failed to notice a hive of poisonous insects coming his way.

"Miroku! Watch out!" Sango warned.

"What?! Oh No!" he yelled.

The ground rumbled again at the base of the mountain where they were.

"Mwuhahahaha...!!" was heard echoing around the mountain from a deep voice coming closer towards them.

"Naraku!" yelled Inuyasha.

'Where did he come form?' was on everyone's mind.

"Where are you hiding?!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Why, in the shadows of course. I've been witnessing the battle from the very beginning," he said with a snicker.

"You bastard!" yelled Miroku as he covered his hand and cowered in pain from the venom of the insects.

'He was so deep within the miasma, that none of us could sense him!' everyone thought.

"Now die monk, from the curse that your grandfather so kindly bestowed upon you," Naraku said defiantly.

"You monster!" Sango yelled as she ran toward Miroku. He heard Sango rush to his side and yell out for him but could not fight the poison this time, it was different from before and seemed to cause excruciating pain as well as make him feel light-headed. His vision was closing in on him and then he fainted in the cool grass.

'Oh no, he's as cold as ice and is sweating all over' thought Sango.

"Oh! Look at his hand Sango!" exclaimed Kagome as she ran to the side of her friend. Miroku's hand now had turned a reddish pink, like he had a rash and his veins were turning a tint of purple.

"What the hell is happening to him?" Sango cried out. She grabbed his non-swollen hand in hers. It felt clammy and lifeless.

"Please make it Miroku, I know you're stronger than this. We need you here with us. Just stay alive!" she yelled at him, tears now forming in her eyes but refusing to drop. 'I need you!' was what she really thought as she closed her eyes, letting a tear finally brake loose and it landed on his sleep-like face, but it did not cause him to stir.


	5. I Will Always Love You

**Love Trance**

_We last left our heroes battling Naraku and his demons of the miasma…_

**Chapter 5: I Will Always Love You**

'Oh please don't take him' thought Sango as a tear fell down her cheek onto the sleep-like face of the monk. 'Miroku just needs to rest and recuperate' thought Sango, shoving all bad thoughts out of her mind. 'He would want me to fight and KILL Naraku' she thought angrily.

"Naraku you beast!" she yelled getting up from the side of Miroku to stand in her full demon slayer form. "Hiraikotsu!" she yelled throwing her boomerang bone at him with all her might.

Naraku looked toward this sound and smirked as he dodged her weapon.

"What has caused all of this sudden anger Sango? Is it that your friend will die soon from his kazaana? Or is it that your inability to kill me will result in the death of your younger brother?" he asked menacingly.

Sango gasped. 'Kohaku, I must avenge my family in killing Naraku as well' she thought. 'He's brought too much pain to live a second longer' she thought as she glared at Naraku.

No sooner did this thought come to her mind when a glint in the sky beside Naraku caught her eye. She had to squint to make sure what she was seeing was real, but as the figure came into focus, she gasped at what she saw.

"Kohaku," she whispered. As if hearing his name, he turned toward her, and started flying toward her through the sky, riding on a demon's back. She jumped out of his range and started fleeing toward Kirara. The demon cat sensed her desperation and was quick to get her. Sango jumped onto Kirara's back, fighting off demons left and right.

"Kirara, go up higher into the sky so I can see Kohaku," she commanded. The demon cat did not hesitate and charged through a group of demons. As the night sky came into view, Sango looked left and right to find her brother but couldn't see him anywhere. 'Where is he?' she thought.

* * *

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Kagome were fighting Naraku, each one using all of their strength in each blow.

"Your fighting is in vain, you cannot win against me," Naraku snickered at them.

"If you keep telling yourself that you won't know what hit you!" Inuyasha backfired.

"As if a half-demon and a mortal could kill me!" Naraku answered.

"You're just a half-demon as well Naraku, so don't even bring that into this!" Kagome retorted as she shot an arrow at him.

Her arrow flew true and swift and hit one of his many bulging arms into oblivion.'Impudent wench' he thought as he scowled down at her. He shot one of his many other arms down at her.

"Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha as he swiped her out of the way just in time.

"Thanks Inuyasha. I don't know what we are going to do, he's not weakening after any of our attacks," Kagome said.

"I know, but we have to keep trying and don't give up, we'll beat 'em, I can feel it!" Inuyasha assured her as he got up to start fighting again.

'Inuyasha is right' thought Kagome as she got up to fight again as well. 'I hope Miroku is doing ok and Sango comes back soon' she thought. At that moment, she heard a roar and looked up into the sky and saw the demon cat and the demon-slayer as if looking for something. 'I hope Naraku hasn't done anything to Kohaku either' she thought.

"Kagome! What are you doing? Let's get back into this fight and win!"

"Right," She agreed, returning to his side.

* * *

'Where is he?' Sango thought. "Kirara, do you see him anywhere?" she asked her friend. Kirara growled in what seemed like a 'No'. "Let's just fly around some more to see if we see him anywh-" she stopped, for at that second, extreme pain hit her, centered on her scar around her back. It was an all too familiar pain. She turned around to see the blank eyes and face of her brother. He took his scythe out of her back with a swift flick of his wrist. Kirara growled and swung around so Sango was facing him.

"Kohaku! Snap out of it! It's me Sango, your sister. Don't you hear me?!" she yelled.

"Of course I hear you, Sango," He replied with a menacing tone in his voice.

"Kohaku?" she asked.

'What's going on, I thought he couldn't do anything while under Naraku's grasp' she thought.

"I've always heard you. When you would talk about demons from a battle you and father came back from, and how you all fought bravely until the end. Yes, I've heard it all," he said, his tone becoming angrier.

"Kohaku, is that really you? Naraku better not be making you say this!" she yelled as Kirara set her on the ground.

"It's me Sango, your brother. See, you don't even know when it's me. Ha. It's still the same. You don't hear me Sango," he said with a snicker in his voice, he too being on the ground.

"Of course I hear you! What are you talking about? You mean so much to me! Why are you speaking this way?" she asked, confusion entering her thoughts.

"You know why... YOU. You caused this Sango. You caused our family and villagers to die. And you caused ME to die and live this life. You know why," he retorted.

"It was an accident! Naraku controlled you, he could have done it to any one of us! It's no one's fault. I tried to stop it!" she had been trying to tell herself this all along, but it felt like a lie. Tears started forming in her eyes.

"Then what are these tears for? Guilt. It is someone's fault. Either you or father is to blame. You knew I didn't want to go that day, I was frightened of the demons and I wasn't ready. But you and father said it would be no problem and that I was ready. Maybe I was ready to put up a fight, but not to DIE!" he yelled.

"Kohaku, stop it!" she shouted, covering her ears. "I won't hear it, this isn't like you! Naraku is making you say these things. _My_ Kohaku would not say this," she sobbed.

"Oh, _your_ Kohaku. Don't you mean, the one you made him out to be? Did you even really _know_ me? The way I really felt, Sango? NO. I was just the timid little brother who didn't go against others wishes. I went out of my way to give our family comfort, so out of my way that I lost my life for it. More than you ever could," he spat back at her.

"I wanted to die! That day… I lost everything dearest to my heart and only felt hatred. I was so naïve and emotionally damaged that it was easy to place the blame on anyone. Naraku deceived me too! Making me turn against Inuyasha," she remembered. "Don't tell me I haven't suffered Damnit!"

'This needs to end' she thought.

"Kohaku, or Naraku, or whoever! You're not my brother anymore. I can never get you back, not so long as that tainted jewel is in your back," she said, disappoint in her voice. "I'm sorry father, villagers, and Kohaku. I need to end the pain now, for all of us," she concluded, sobbing.

She ran toward Kohaku, he lifted his scythe with an angry scowl and was about to attack.

"Hiraikotsu!" she yelled, tears drying on her face as the wind hit it. The boomerang bone hit his arm, and his weapon fell from it. Kirara went towards his weapon so he wouldn't be able to grab it again. She purposely let the boomerang bone miss her hand so she could run toward him. She clutched his body in a tight embrace.

"I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, tears now streaming uncontrollably down her face. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you or father or anyone! I just… love you so much."

"I will always love you, my little brother," she said as she reached behind and rubbed his back in a soft manner. She felt a slight bump in the middle of his back, mid-spine. Kohaku winced in pain – the first time showing emotion. Her eyes widened as she felt the bump over and over. It was thin and sharp at the ends. She sighed as she leaned her head on his shoulder, her knees on the ground. A tear fell on his slayer's armor as she pointed her index finger and thumb on the hand that was on his back, the other hand holding his head on her shoulder as she hugged him close.

'I'm sorry' she thought.

She stabbed her fingers into his back and dug out the shikon shard that had caused so much pain. He yelled in pain, which only made her sob more and hold him tighter in her embrace.

"Sango…" he whispered.

"Kohaku!" she screamed as she pulled away from him and stared into his face.

"Thank you…" he said with a soft tone as his eyes rolled back and his head tilted back into her arm. She held his lifeless body once more as she cried her pain away.


	6. No More Pain

**Love Trance**

**Chapter 6: No More Pain**

Sango had never felt so happy, sad, or free at the same time in her whole life . Kohaku had been freed from Naraku's grasp at last. He had come back to her, the brother that she loved so much. But she had taken his life with it, for the second time. She wouldn't hear his voice anymore, except for in her distant memories. She hoped his soul was content and would be able to move on.

Despite it all, it felt as if an immense weight was lifted off of her shoulders. She was able to see things a little clearer, having taken care of one thing in her life. She was sad to see Kohaku go, yes, but if it meant that she was closer to killing Naraku, she had to stay hopeful. Kohaku would have wanted her to avenge his pain. She still had some pain of her own to avenge.

She set his body to the side with utmost care, as if he were a delicate porcelain doll that might break. She had gone a little ways from the battle and set Kohaku next to Miroku. As she stood up to leave, she looked at them both. They seemed to be in deep sleep, though one would not wake up ever again and the other hopefully would. They were the two most important people in her life, though she hated to admit it to the monk. She held his opinions in high regard, for when he spoke to her, he always had something wise to say. She knew he covered up his real feelings by acting like a pervert, it was his way to push people away, like Inuyasha's bad attitude, Kagome's running away and Sango's silence. But that was his nature, always trying to be the optimistic and never show that he was as mad or as disappointed when Naraku had once again slipped through their grasp. He was the one to break the silence and do something stupid to make everyone come back to their normal selves. She wondered how he could do that, when he was the one who held the most dependency on finding and killing Naraku. Everyone else was here for vengeance, and he was here to save his life.

Sango jumped on Kirara to go and help her hanyou and priestess friends. They were back to back, Kagome shooting sacred arrows here and there, and Inuyasha swinging his blade back and forth. Naraku had disappeared in the hoard of demons again, and all of their eyes darted across the scene to find him. With Kirara as her aid in the air, Sango again threw her Hiraikotsu to keep the never-ending demons at bay.

"Kagome! What happened?" Sango shouted flying through the air, nearly dodging a hoard of snake demons.

"Sango! There you are! How's Miroku?" Kagome said back, glad to see that her friend was unharmed.

"He's still out. Where's Naraku?" she yelled back. The noise was all around them, demons screaming and the sound of their bodies crashing into weapons was making it hard to hear.

"We lost him a while ago, but I know he's around here somewhere. Our attacks weren't doing much to him, so he can't be retreating now," Kagome explained.

"He's just a coward who is afraid to fight face to face!" Inuyasha yelled. "Having to use his dirty tricks all the time to save his own skin."

'He must be thinking about Kikyo.' Kagome thought. 'Why wouldn't he though, he did… love her.' Kagome sighed. It was hard being 'second best'. Or at least it felt like it to her. Sure, she and Inuyasha had gotten closer every minute they had spent together, but once Kikyo was mentioned or she was around, that's all he could think about. Kagome knew she was coming into this kind of "relationship" as number two, but it still hurt.

"Kagome!" Sango yelled.

She was quickly snapped out of her thoughts as she turned to see a hoard of demons coming her way. While thinking about her love life, she failed to notice that her daze had made her vulnerable to attack. She screamed while fumbling with her arrows. The demons got closer to her and she dropped her bow accidentally in frustration. She shielded herself with her arms, in the protective manner if you were about to be pummeled. She felt hot liquid on her arm, and it was absorbing into her clothes, but felt no pain. She opened her eyes slightly to notice that she was in the arms of her beloved hanyou and they were soaring through the air, and away from danger.

They landed on the ground softly and Inuyasha set her down on her feet. Before she was able to thank him, he kneeled down on one knee, holding his now bloody shoulder.

"Oh Inuyasha! You're hurt!" Kagome realized, holding back tears as she knelt beside him.

"It's just a scratch. Don't worry about it. I expect I'll go through a lot more before this battle is over," he said reassuringly to her, as he stood up.

"Are you sure? I'm really sorry. It's all my fault, I wasn't paying attention and I should have been... I'm so sorry…" she trailed off as she lowered her head.

"Hey! Hey! Don't start crying! I said I was fine! See?" He said, picking up his Tetsusaiga to slash the air, showing that his arm was fine.

"Alright," Kagome said sniffling, wiping off her tears with her sleeve.

"You should save your tears for when I faint after battle, from loss of blood," he said in a serious tone.

"Don't say stuff like that!" Kagome said, hitting his arm playfully.

"Yeah, right. Like that would even happen. Naraku's going down tonight, I can feel it. This is it Kagome," he said, with a smile on his face and warmth in his eyes.

"Now that you guys are done with you little 'moment' can we get back to kicking some demon butt?" Sango interrupted, hands on her hips.

"No need to tell me what to do!" Inuyasha yelled back, the warmth gone and the irritable look back again. "Just be more careful Kagome." He looked back at her, the soft look on his face back for one more time.

"I will," Kagome promised, slightly blushing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shippo had come out of his hiding place from when the group first found out that it was Naraku behind the attack and scampered toward Kirara, Kohaku, and Miroku. He had been tending to Miroku since Sango, Kagome and Inuyasha had continued fighting. He was now digging through Kagome's backpack looking for the type of medicine that they had given to Miroku the last time this had happened. Shippo remembered it, even the taste, because the first time he almost gave it to Miroku mouth to mouth.

"Aha! Here it is," he said while holding up a bottle with small pills inside.

He took out two of the pills and headed back toward Miroku.

"Miroku! Wake up! Take this medicine. Hopefully you will recover faster," Shippo said while lightly tapping his face.

Miroku moved his head slightly and groaned. Good, he was still a little conscious. Shippo urged him more until his eyes opened slightly and he said: "Shippo…" barely audible.

"Miroku! You need to take this," he said excitedly. Putting the medicine in Miroku's mouth, he ran back and got water from Kagome's backpack and told him to swallow it.

"Thank you. You saved me once again from the verge of death little one," Miroku said, smiling lightly at the kitsune.

"I do what I can to keep it together! The sooner you get better the sooner Naraku will get what's coming to him," Shippo said while throwing punches and kicks into the air, simulating fighting.

"Ha ha… yeah. Let me just rest a little more and the medicine should take its full effect," Miroku said, closing his eyes once again. Shippo wasn't worried though; it felt like his friends could survive through anything, though they wouldn't outlast his life as a demon.

* * *

While Miroku was starting to recover, the others were still in search of the hated Naraku.

'Damn, where the hell is he?' Inuyasha kept thinking.

"Right here," came his menacing voice. It sounded as if it were everywhere at once.

All three of their heads turned every which way, looking for the source of the voice.

"Come out you coward!" Sango shouted, sheathing her sword and taking out her boomerang bone.

"Sango, you live I see. I can't say the same for you brother though. Tragic. Now you have no one in this world," Naraku said, mockingly.

"Shut up! Just come out here and fight! Or are you afraid of us? You know that we could easily kill you. You're just waiting for more demons and you reincarnations to show up and 'weaken' us, aren't you? Well guess what… Nothing will break the spirit of an angry demon slayer, not even on the verge of death. I refuse to die!" Sango yelled, now running toward the strongest demonic aura she had felt in quite a while.

Kagome and Inuyasha sensed it too and quickly followed.

Naraku came out of the trees to the west of where they were battling before, Saimyosho and miasma surrounding him like a deep dark rain cloud. He landed swiftly in front of Sango, baboon pelt covering him now. She swung her boomerang bone just as quickly, but he jumped up and stepped on it as if it were part of a staircase he was planning on climbing up anyway.

By now, Inuyasha had caught up and had a Wind Scar waiting for him when they were face to face. Naraku quickly dodged the attack, ditching the baboon pelt in the dust. He laughed menacingly and was even ready for Kagome's arrow when she shot it out of nowhere.

"You're getting sloppy," he taunted, revealing his large green tentacle-like body parts. He looked like a bubbling blob. It was sickening and it didn't help that every time they cut a piece of it off of him, it regenerated just as quickly.

"Ugh, nothing's working!" Sango cried out in frustration, while double-timing her boomerang boning and deciding to use her sword as well.

"Just stand strong!" Kagome yelled back, she too was growing frustrated and worried.

While Sango was fighting off Naraku's snaking arms, she failed to notice that some were now slowly trying to wrap themselves around her legs. Not until they tugged her forward a little did she look down. But when she looked down, the arms were slinking back to their owner and in their supposed place was the bottom of an all too familiar golden staff. She looked up in surprise to find Miroku smiling back, looking healthy as ever.

Then they came, the tears were back, but they were in the form of joy and they were still too stubborn to come out.

"Miroku…" Sango whispered, tears affecting her ability to speak.

"What? You thought I'd let you guys kill Naraku without me?" He said, the smile changing into a sly grin.

"No, I guess not," Sango laughed, smiling and trying to push aside the tears, focusing back to the task at hand.

Sango felt a new strength within her, Miroku fighting by her side now. It's as if they had rehearsed this a million times, their movements were in sync the whole time. Both were very strong fighters and were able to almost predict the other's moves. Fighting the arms still seemed just as pointless, but they weren't getting as close to the demon slayer and monk as they were before.

Miroku decided to leave the wind tunnel alone for now, he didn't want to black out again. His sutras didn't work on Naraku either, so he was using his staff as his main weapon, until Sango tossed him a dagger. She smiled at him and he thanked her through the same way. They always seemed to understand one another, conversing not through words so much, but actions. Sango was a very physical person so it made sense that she would trust in someone who could understand her many complex attributes. She had gotten better at conversing though, Miroku being a very verbal person. She loved the way he spoke, with such confidence and ease. His words had gotten them out of confusion with many villages before. She wondered if it was his hypnotic tone or the diction he used that made it work best. Probably both.

All of this physical activeness was helping Sango clear her mind and she was able to think of a way to defeat Naraku once and for all. Why hadn't she thought of it before? That always seemed to be the spot that he protected…

She casually neared Kagome in her fighting and pointed to her back where her scar from Kohaku was and then back at Naraku. Kagome got the message and tried to move closer to Inuyasha to let him know what she was doing. He was fighting Naraku head on and was getting a good look at his malicious face the whole time. The others had been on the sides of him, not realizing what he was protecting: his back where his spider mark was, the thing that started everything.

Kagome managed to snake her way around to the back of him after signaling Inuyasha with her eyes and noticed that the arms were connected to his spider scar. Aiming her arrow with complete concentration, she focused all of her power into this one shot. It would either work, or blow up in her face. Either way, she wouldn't find out unless she tried. She sighed a huge breath of air as the arrow shot, taking most of her energy with it. She fell to her knees and watched the arrow pierce the center mark like a bull's-eye. A big white flash was all that could be seen by the members present at the scene.

Kirara came and protected Kagome from the light and dust that resulted from Naraku's exploding body. Inuyasha had found a little ball of fur holding onto the front of his haori in fear and he held him close, protecting him from the aftermath. Miroku held Sango close, her hands on his chest as she closed her eyes. His eyes were wide open to make sure he didn't miss the end of his nemesis.

* * *

Everyone regrouped when the light faded away and all was silent. The clearing had been stripped of everything: plants, bugs, and even particles in the air. A big indent in the ground was left, similar to the one that would be left if you were sucked into your own wind tunnel, but not as deep. It was shaped like a giant spider.

They stared down into it, waiting for something to pop out and prove all of their dreams wrong, but only a partly completed jewel fragment remained. Kagome bent down and grasped it in her hand, and then looked towards Inuyasha to find him looking straight back. She smiled and saw that his eyes were just as glassy as hers. She couldn't hold it in anymore; she ran to him and jumped into his arms, her legs dangling behind her. He spun her around as they laughed. Both whispering portions of: "You were right… we did it! I'm so happy…"

She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close, her feet back on the ground. She was reassured with a tight squeeze, with just as much meaning as hers. Shippo later joined them in celebration, and for once, Inuyasha and he did not bicker at all.

Sango had been staring at the middle of the hole the whole time and she seemed unfazed by what her friends were celebrating. So much was going through her mind: 'Is he really gone?' Memories of her past flashed in her eyes, mostly of the pain Naraku had caused. Not until a hand rested on her shoulder did she hear Kagome and Inuyasha laughing about something. She looked up to find Miroku smiling and an arm cloth and rosary beads being held in his left hand. Surprised, she looked down at the hand on her shoulder. It was his right hand, bare as could be. She smiled back up at him as he lifted it off of her shoulder to reveal a palm, normal like the rest of them. But this one she knew, meant everything to him, and even to her.

With tears falling down her dirty cheeks, she took his right hand and rubbed it smoothly over her face. It felt so soft, softer than she had ever imagined it to be. He cupped her cheek, loving that this was the first feeling he felt in his new palm. He took her in his arms and hugged her close as she cried tears of joy and sadness. She held him back, arms under his shoulders and holding onto his back as if she would never let go. She cried more when he whispered into her ear, "It's okay now Sango. Everything will be all right."

"I know… thank you," she barely whispered back.

"Are you hurt badly?" he asked, sincerely worried, while stroking her hair.

"No, I can't feel any pain," She said, relaxing into his embrace and letting herself be content and in the moment, for once.


End file.
